Prince chases pirates

Musician to sue YouTube and other sites

LONDON — Songwriter and musician Prince is initiating legal proceedings against YouTube and other major websites for breach of copyright over the unauthorized use of his music.

In a move that is rare for an individual artist to take — rather than music industry trade bodies — Prince says he plans to sue because he wants to “reclaim his art on the Internet.”

“YouTube are clearly able [to] filter porn and pedophile material but appear to choose not to filter out the unauthorized music and film content that is core to their business success,” said a statement released by the musician.

“Prince strongly believes artists as the creators and owners of their music need to reclaim their art,” the statement added.

British company Web Sheriff has been hired to help coordinate the action, which also could includes suits being filed against eBay and Pirate Bay.

In response, YouTube said it works with record labels and artists to help them manage music on the website.